A high school dropout who swindled six area temporary employment firms out of nearly $240,000 told a judge Thursday that prison has taught her how not to hurt people and "do everything legit."

That's because when Qianna Quartman, 31, was arrested during an investigation of the defrauding of the staffing services firms, she was already on probation from some prior bad check and fraud cases. Her probation was revoked and she did 21/2 years in prison while the latest crimes were under investigation.

She was released from prison in October 2012 and charged in the temp agency scam in December.

"You wrote in your letter that people don't know what's in your heart," said Milwaukee County Circuit Judge William Brash. "Maybe. But talk is cheap." He told Quartman, who has seven prior convictions, "that unless you walk the walk, it means nothing."

Brash sentenced Quartman to another 2 years in prison, followed by 41/2 years of extended supervision, that will start after her current supervision ends in 2019.

Quartman is also on the hook for $239,839 in restitution, although $172,000 of that is also owed by her three co-defendants in a remarkably simple but effective scheme that Brash said left him "dumbfounded."

According to investigators, Quartman set up several phony businesses in Wauwatosa, and then from August 2009 to March 2010 hired her own co-defendants through Manpower, Resource Staffing Associates, Argus Technical Services, Seek Inc., Diversified Personnel Service and Spherion Personnel Services.

While Manpower fronted pay for only a week before demanding reimbursement, others were scammed for months. Assistant District Attorney David Feiss told the judge the owner of Resource Staffing lost his business and his home as a result of losses exceeding $82,000 to Quartman's scheme.

The companies agreed to front payment, expecting reimbursement from Quartman's fake businesses — including Q & R Trucking. But she never paid up, instead offering excuses to extend the float for as long as three months. When temp agencies would finally cut her off, Quartman would start a new fake firm and hit up another staffing company.

The employees were Quartman's mother, Diana Spiller, who at the time was working for Milwaukee Public Schools; Rufus Jackson, who was on probation and doing nothing while the temp agencies paid him for full work weeks plus overtime; and Lucner Freeman. Three other people were involved to lesser extents but cooperated with authorities and were not charged.

All four were charged in December with six counts of conspiracy to commit theft by fraud.

Jackson, 34, pleaded guilty to one count, and was sentenced to a suspended sentenced of 18 months in prison and put on 21/2 years of probation. Freeman, 41, also pleaded guilty to one count, and was sentenced to 45 days in jail as a condition of three years' probation. Quartman pleaded guilty in July to two counts of theft by fraud, without the conspiracy modifier, and the four other counts were dismissed. Her mother was found guilty after a trial and is awaiting sentencing.